Losing Weight With The Carb Lovers Diet

After years of treating carbohydrates like toxic waste, a new diet comes along that actually promotes eating carbs as a way to lose weight. The editors of Health Magazine have published a book that seems to contradict years of diet doctrine: eating carbohydrates can lead to weight loss. Could this be the diet of your dreams?

Carbohydrates are your body’s primary source of energy, so it makes sense that some carbs are necessary, and possibly good for you. The Carb Lovers diet brings the focus to what they call “resistant starch” which is a kind of carb that is slow to digest, yet makes you feel full. This is similar to the common practice of drinking a glass of water or eating a leafy salad before the meal. They are all strategies that let you feel satisfied before you eat too many calories.

With this diet you have access to all of the normal food groups. There are no broad prohibitions, just recommendations on preferring unprocessed foods over highly processed foods. The meal plan has featured carbs (like bananas, oatmeal and brown rice) for each meal. This “carb star” accounts for about one fourth of each meal with the balance coming from protein, fruits and vegetables. The plan also stresses the importance of the daily multivitamin.

One element of the Carb Lovers diet that should be very popular is the weekly splurge. Once a week, you are allowed to treat yourself. That means you can have chocolate, beer or wine, desert, or other bit of decadence. That can really take the pressure off, knowing that your heart’s desire is waiting for you at the end of the week.

This is not a free-for-all diet, though. There are rules, but only a few. You must include at least one “resistant starch” in every meal. Given the broad list of qualifying carbs, that is not too restrictive. You must also limit portion sizes. This is not an “eat all you want” plan. Each meal should also include a lean protein plus fresh fruits and vegetables. They recommend that you stock up on the good (resistant starch) carbs, so that you never run out and substitute less effective carbs, and that you don’t try to eliminate that food that you love, whatever it is. The plan allows for a splurge every week, so there’s no reason to dump the diet just because you can’t live without pecan pie, for example.

So, although this diet will send low-carb disciples running into the woods screaming, you can lose weight with this diet. The authors claim that losing 8 pounds a month is a reasonable goal. If you can’t start your day without your toast, or life isn’t worth living if it doesn’t include chocolate, this could be the diet for you. Don’t try to go it alone, get yourself a diet buddy. If you don’t have a friend who’s ready to join you, check out WannaBuddy.com and find someone near you who is looking for a diet buddy, too.